Bond’s DB5 stars in 60 years of 007 sale

The real deal

Yes, that is a real James Bond Aston Martin DB5 and, yes, it is for sale, really.

To mark 60 years of 007, Christie’s is holding a two-part auction. There will be a live auction on 28 September 2022, in which James Bond lots will go under the hammer in London, as well as an online sale which runs from 15 September until 5 October (‘James Bond Day’).

In all, 60 lots will be up for grabs, the proceeds from which will be donated to 45 charities.

With a genuine James Bond, silver-screen Aston Martin consigned to this special, anniversary sale, we had to find out more.

1981 Aston Martin V8 (est: £500-700,000)

Let’s start with another classic Bond Aston being offered by Christie’s at this commemorative charity auction.

You might recognise this from No Time To Die. This Cumberland Grey classic is one of three modified for use in the 2021 film – and this car was driven by Daniel Craig in the movie.

It was used for filming on location in London and Windsor in England, in Scotland, and also in Italy and Norway.

1981 Aston Martin V8 (cont.)

In No Time To Die, Bond gets back to London, heads to his lock-up and reveals this car, which has the same numberplate as the car in 1987’s The Living Daylights, starring Timothy Dalton.

Powered by a 5343cc V8, it has a five-speed manual gearbox and a Connolly leather interior. Here it wears the plate B549 WUU, as it did for continuity purposes during filming – the plate it will be sold with is its age-correct CGT 955X.

Pre-production Land Rover Defender 110 stunt car (est: £300-500,000)

Being sold to benefit the British Red Cross, this is almost worth it for that image alone.

We know it is not a classic, for a genuine Bond film car, this is pretty cool. This left-hand-drive, Santorini Black Landie, with a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder petrol engine, is one of 10 pre-production Defenders supplied for the filming of No Time To Die.

These 10 were the first pre-production Defenders built at the Land Rover factory in Nitra, Slovakia.

Pre-production Land Rover Defender 110 stunt car (cont.)

Appropriately, this car is VIN 007… As well as being used in filming, this car was also employed during promotional activity, before No Time To Die was released in cinemas.

Working with a team that included James Bond special effects legend Chris Corbould, this and the other Defenders were fitted with items such as rollcages, racing-spec fuel cells and under-body protection.

The listing in the Christie’s auction catalogue states that this car is a non-runner and says that it is ‘not sold as a means of transport’, ‘nor is it approved for use on any public roads or homologated‘.

Jaguar XF stunt car (est: £50-70,000)

Yes, again, this is not a classic, but from its crumpled, Italian numberplate it is clear that this is another bona fide James Bond film car.

Being sold by EON Productions in aid of the Carnegie Institution for Science this is, as you might have guessed, another stunt car from 2021’s No Time To Die.

This is one of six XFs provided for filming. They’re seen pursuing Bond and Madeleine Swann through the streets of the southern Italian city Matera.

Jaguar XF stunt car (cont.)

As with the Defender, this 2020 model year Jaguar XF was adapted for stunt driving, and is being sold as a non-runner and a collector’s item.

No racing across piazzas or charging down ancient cobbled steps, then.

Aston Martin replica DB5 stunt car (est: £1.5-2m)

We’ve teased you long enough. Here, in its battle-scarred glory, is the lead lot in this Christie’s 60th-anniversary of James Bond auction.

This car was built specifically to perform dynamic stunts during the filming of No Time To Die, and it is, to date, the only DB5 stunt car released for public sale by Aston Martin and EON Productions.

No wonder it has a £1.5-2m pre-sale estimate, then.

Aston Martin replica DB5 stunt car (cont.)

And here it is with Daniel Craig at the wheel, in the 25th Bond film, No Time To Die.

Finished in Silver Birch, of course, power comes courtesy of a modern 3.2-litre straight-six, mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

It is being offered at this sale by Aston Martin Lagonda Limited and, if sold, the funds will be donated to The Prince's Trust and The Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund.

Aston Martin replica DB5 stunt car (cont.)

Of the 25 James Bond films to date, 13 have featured an Aston Martin DB5, making it one of the most famous and distinctive movie-star cars of all time.

All the DB5 stunt cars were modified and this one – also being sold as a non-runner – is one of a few to have the mocked-up side-panel damage as well as the bespoke No Time To Die gadgets.

It’s properly high-tech. The dash was 3D printed, while the interior and body panels are made of carbonfibre, plus the car’s suspension and brakes were overhauled to help it cope with the demands of filming.

BMW 750iL model (est: £7-10,000)

So, we’ve seen the star car, but for James Bond fans there is still a lot more to get excited about in these two Christie’s auctions.

How about this, which has been consigned to the online sale? You might recognise this BMW 750iL from the 1997 film Tomorrow Never Dies – so why a £7-10,000 estimate?

BMW 750iL model (cont.)

That is because this a one-third scale model of that BMW. This 126cm long miniature, with damage for continuity purposes, is one of three surviving models used to film the finale of the car-chase featuring Pierce Brosnan as Bond, on the scaled-down set built for this scene.

The auction catalogue explains this model’s underside is very detailed, because it would be visible when filming.

Its sale will raise money for the Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service.

Range Rover Sport SVR stunt car (est: £80-120,000)

Yes, this is a modern car, but we’re sure you’ll recall that sweeping vista from No Time To Die.

It is another stunt car – although, seemingly, in less battered condition than some of the others going under the hammer.

This is one of the six Eiger Grey Range Rover SVRs provided for filming, powered by a supercharged 567bhp V8.

Range Rover Sport SVR stunt car (cont.)

Despite this car’s apparently good condition, again it is being sold as a non-runner.

Recreating that drive along Norway’s famous 5.2-mile Atlantic Ocean Road might be out of the question, then.

007 60th anniversary Land Rover Defender 110 V8 Bond Edition (est: £200-300,000)

Here’s a lot that can be driven on the public road – the catch is it was inspired by 007, but has not been used in the filming for a James Bond movie.

Looking mean in Santorini Black, with 22-inch gloss-black alloy wheels and blue front brake calipers, this 22-plate Defender 110 wears the famous 007 logo on its rear, plus it is on the illuminated tread plates, infotainment screen and the puddle lamp – the latter, a feature which lights the ground under the front door, might sound a little gimmicky, but we reckon it could still look pretty cool.

007 60th anniversary Land Rover Defender 110 V8 Bond Edition (cont.)

With a 5.0-litre supercharged engine delivering 518bhp and 461lb ft of torque, it will certainly go rather wheel – and sound good, too.

Further 007 customisation unique to this car is ‘60 Years of Bond’, which is etched into the instrument panel end cap.

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, No Time To Die 007 Special Edition (est: £300-400,000)

Another car in celebration of rather than having featured in No Time To Die, this is a one-off 007 Edition version of the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, of which just 25 production cars were made in the first instance.

This car’s specification mirrors that of the car driven by Nomi (played by Lashana Lynch) in No Time To Die.

Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, No Time To Die 007 Special Edition (cont.)

As you can see, it has a plate bearing the etched autographs of the film’s producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G WIlson, and actress Lynch.

With its 715bhp 5.2-litre, twin-turbo V12, performance will not be in short supply, and thanks to its menacing Ceramic Grey paint, unique 21-inch wheels and 007 branding, it will be sure to turn heads.

Q Jet Boat (est: £20-30,000)

Now this is, quite clearly, not a car. But it is super-cool and we couldn’t resist sharing it.

This is the Q Jet Boat that Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in 1999’s The World Is Not Enough launches from the MI6 offices in London onto the River Thames, in pursuit of a baddie aboard a Sunseeker speedboat.

Q Jet Boat (cont.)

And here is Brosnan, sorry, Bond, doing just that.

This is one of 15 boats built for this sequence, but this is the original and features more than the others in the final cut – plus, it is a special-effects version, with a front opening weapon hatch. We said it was cool.

Usefully, it will be sold with a transportation trailer.

The tip of the iceberg

These are just nine of the 60 lots in this Christie’s two-part sale.

Several Bond watches are being offered, too, and lots of film memorabilia, including this signed clapperboard from No Time To Die (est: £5-7000), clothes worn in Bond films, posters, James Bond and Kara’s cello-case sled from 1987’s The Living Daylights (est: £5-8000), plus signed scripts and scores. The latter includes the music from No Time To Die autographed by, among others, Billie Eilish, Hans Zimmer and Johnny Marr (est: £5-7000), a Skyfall score signed by Adele (est: £3-5000), and sheet music for Another Way To Die from 2008’s Quantum of Solace, autographed by Alicia Keys and Jack White (est: £3-5000).

You can check out the full catalogue for part one here and part two here, and let’s hope these auctions raise lots of money for charity.